COACHING: Wenzel was a coach for all seasons

He coached wrestling and boys soccer for CAMS

KERRI FLEEGLE — FOR PUBLIC OPINION
Mike Wenzel, third from the left, coaches in his final boys soccer game in May for the Chambersburg middle school team. Wenzel coached boys and girls soccer and wrestling for 23 years.

KERRI FLEEGLE — FOR PUBLIC OPINION
Mike Wenzel coached for a total of 63 seasons in Chambersburg, including 34 seasons as a head coach in the middle school boys soccer and wrestling programs.

Since he decided to hang up his coaching whistle after this spring season, Mike Wenzel knows exactly what's on his docket.

"I have 23 years worth of home projects to get caught up on," he said.

"And if he ever gets through with them, I'll come up with some more," said Wenzel's wife Glenda.

Sounds like he will have no trouble keeping busy.

That will be a normal scenario, then, because over the last 23 years, Wenzel has coached in a total of 63 seasons between wrestling and boys and girls soccer in Chambersburg. That doesn't allow for much time off.

"I got involved because my kids were playing, and I just stuck with it," Wenzel said. "I was lucky, too, that my job (at Letterkenny Army Depot, which he retired from in May) was from 6 in the morning until 2:30 so it was easy to do schedule-wise. A lot of guys who would be good coaches couldn't do that because of their job."

In boys soccer, Wenzel was a volunteer coach with the junior high team for three years and with the high school team for three years. He became a paid assistant under Gary Barnes for the junior high team for six years, then was the head coach for the past 11 years.

In wrestling, he was the junior high assistant for one year under Randy Dumm, and took over the following year. He put in the next 22 years as the head coach.

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He got started in boys soccer because his son Scott was playing. So when his daughter Amy started playing girls soccer, Wenzel said his wife strongly suggested he get involved in that, too.

So he volunteered for three years at the high school level, then was an assistant for the Trojans for the next 17 seasons.

If you combine all three sports, that's 63 seasons of coaching in one position or another.

That's a lot of bus trips, a lot of practices and a lot of missed meals.

"That's going six days a week for 23 years — it was time," Wenzel said. "It's a big time commitment and I just don't have the same enthusiasm I had before."

Glenda Wenzel said, "Honestly, for somebody to be in coaching as long as he has, it takes the support of the whole family. You need that backing."

And she was willing to give it.

"I loved it, too," she said. "I went to most of the games and I was the wrestling scorekeeper for many years."

"You have to have good people around you," Wenzel said, "and I had good mentors and assistants, too."

Wenzel said what he will miss most is "being around the kids, because they are usually so upbeat and full of energy. It was fun.

"I think I got my most enjoyment when you'd see a lesser athlete step up and exceed all expectations, like if we had a big game and a kid you wouldn't expect to would really excel."

He said he's ready to turn his positions over to younger coaches "who have more enthusiasm and can relate to the kids better."

Craig Hight will be the new CAMS wrestling coach and the next boys soccer coach has not yet been hired.

CAMS athletic director Chris Buhrman said, "Mike was very organized, so at the start of the season you knew everything would be taken care of. He was very professional in what he did and he was a good role model because of his demeanor.

"Especially in wrestling, he'd take on some kids who were having some difficulties in school, and give them something positive in their life ... being part of a team. He was able to give those kids some support."

That still might be the case. Wenzel said he expects to go back to being a volunteer coach, perhaps helping with the high school girls and middle school boys as a goalkeeper coach.

Obviously, the coaching bug is tough to turn off completely after 23 years.